CHAPTER 55: THIS ISN’T OVER

Gara glared fiercely at Lita. He controlled his water to enter her mouth, and she subconsciously swallowed it.

"Sleep tight," he murmured coldly.

In less than a minute, Lita dropped to the ground, much faster than Dilan earlier. That was because Gara knew his anesthetic powder worked well.

He turned and walked toward the shed.

"Gara, what are you doing?" Wina called, worry creeping into her voice. She didn’t want her son doing anything wicked for her sake.

"I’m just giving them the consequences of their own actions."

He stepped inside the shed again. With his water, he lifted Lita’s unconscious body and dropped it on top of Dilan. Then he undressed her upper clothes.

To prevent any sudden awakening, he forced Dilan to swallow another dose of the sleep powder, enough to knock him out until morning.

"Let’s go, Mom." Gara took her hand gently.

"Is it really okay to leave them like that?" Wina asked, her voice heavy with concern.

Gara glanced back. This time, he had no choice but to lay guilt on her again.

"Mom, today it was you who got taken. But next time... it could be me."

His words struck her heart. And just like that, the worry she felt for those two vile people vanished.

Yes, they were still human. But their cruelty had gone far beyond what deserved pity.

During their way home, the white squirrel stayed alert. Fortunately, it didn’t signal that anyone had noticed them descending from the mountain.

The next morning, the sky was still dark when Gara stepped out of the house and watered all the herbal plants in the yard. Then, he walked toward the mountain.

The cold air made him hug himself, occasionally rubbing his arms for warmth.

Suddenly, from behind, a man dressed in black with a black face covering appeared and struck Gara on the neck.

The young man collapsed to the ground.

The man in black then carried Gara through dense trees, avoiding the village road.

He reached another path where a carriage was waiting. The man placed Gara inside the carriage, where a man in a Liner robe was already seated inside.

"Sir Satyo, shall we depart now?" asked the man in black. The man inside the carriage nodded.

The closed carriage left the area as the man in black whipped the horses into motion.

Inside the carriage, Satyo gazed at Gara’s beautiful sleeping face. "This party will be a success. Even if Lord Bhisma doesn’t like it, the other lords surely will."

...

Meanwhile, Wina sat restlessly on a wooden stool, staring at the bottles of herbal concoctions Gara had made while at home.

Her eyes moved to the window, where the sun was finally peeking slightly above the eastern horizon.

She quickly rose from her seat, grabbed the cloth pouch she had prepared, and rushed out of the house, walking briskly along the still-fresh morning road.

From afar, a tall young man appeared. His jaw and forehead were bruised, and wounds were visible on his arm where his shirt was rolled up.

"Aunt Wina, are you going somewhere?" Madha greeted her politely.

Wina nodded, clearly not in the mood for small talk.

"In that case, I’ll head to the house to meet Gara," Madha said, noticing Wina’s urgency.

Wina wanted to tell him that Gara wasn’t home and send the young man away, but she swallowed the words.

Instead, she said something else, "Gara was kidnapped."

Madha’s eyes widened in genuine shock. "Who kidnapped Gara, Aunt?"

"If you want to save him, come with me."

Wina gave no further explanation, and Madha didn’t ask any more questions. He immediately followed her.

When they arrived at a fork in the road, a carriage happened to be arriving. They climbed in along with other villagers who were already waiting.

Madha had been watching the worry on Wina’s face. Only after they were inside the carriage did he finally speak.

"Aunt, where exactly are we going to look for Gara?"

"Gara told me to find a professor from the capital named Langga Alterian. He said the professor might be willing to help us."

Madha raised an eyebrow. He knew Langga held far more power than Mayor Danan, but what made Gara so certain Langga would help them?

Unfortunately, Madha had to deliver some bad news. "Professor Alterian returned to the capital two months ago."

"What?!" Wina looked panicked.

The carriage traveled for four hours before finally arriving in Falopo Town. It dropped them off near the marketplace.

The two of them got off with grim expressions. Just as they were about to walk away, a familiar voice called out.

"Wina!"

Wina turned around to see an old, barefoot man with graying hair walking toward her.

"Elder Jaya? Why are you here in such a condition..."

"Satyo. That disrespectful child..."

Grandpa Jaya’s emotions flared up as he remembered what led to his current state. Earlier, after bringing breakfast, he realized that the guards in front of the room where he was imprisoned had vanished without a word.

Using a clay cup, he broke down the door, and out of worry that Satyo’s men might return, he had forgotten to put on any footwear. He wandered through the busiest streets until he finally reached the marketplace. And finally met Wina.

"Elder, please wear my sandals. My Talent can protect my feet even without footwear," Madha’s voice interrupted Grandpa Jaya’s thoughts as he offered his wooden sandals.

He looked at Madha, the young man he often saw visiting Gara, perhaps the only friend that child had.

"Elder, we can’t stay long. We have to find Gara. He was kidnapped by Satyo to be made a slave."

Wina wasn’t going to lie anymore. The old man had the right to know what a depraved son he had.

Grandpa Jaya’s blood pressure almost flared up again, but considering that Satyo had locked up his own father, there was no telling what other insane things he might do.

Then suddenly, he remembered the conversation of the guards who had stood outside his room. They had mentioned a place.

...